Galaxies

The first issue of Sigma Xi Quarterly to carry the title American Scientist appeared in January 1942, and leading off the issue was an article by the well-known Harvard astronomer Harlow Shapley, who as also then a member of the Sigma Xi Executive Committee. Shapley reviewed what was known at the time about our galactic neighborhood, having constrained its dimensions almost two decades previously. Physicist Virginia Trimble puts Shapley’s accomplishments in context and brings us up to date on the astronomy.